MIIT says more than 400 humanoid robot models in first half of 2026; annual output could top 100,000 units

On Oct. 19, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said at a news conference hosted by the State Council Information Office that China had more than 400 complete humanoid robot models in the first half of 2026 and production exceeded 40,000 units. Industry observers said full-year output in 2026 could surpass 100,000 units.

The figures released by MIIT affect not only companies approaching mass production but also businesses involved in testing, standardization and data security. The reference to the “National Humanoid Robot Industry Standard System Construction Guide (2026 Edition)” suggests that demonstrating compliance and verifying safety, as well as product performance, are likely to become business requirements.

The new aspect of the announcement is that figures of more than 400 product models and more than 40,000 units in the first half have helped move the discussion from prototyping toward mass production and standardization. At the same time, MIIT’s four priorities — core technologies, deployment scenarios, the industrial ecosystem and safety — extend existing policy themes. Rather than a change in policy direction, this appears to be a renewed push to concentrate existing development policies on humanoid robots. A related article from us summarizing the news conference is “MIIT: More than 400 complete humanoid robot products in first half; full-year output could top 100,000 units.” As its headline suggests, the article foregrounds product numbers and output, while also addressing the standard system, open-source communities and an industry monitoring framework. This suggests that governance — including quality testing, data security and ethical oversight — is becoming a prerequisite for mass production, beyond competition over unit volumes alone. Public information does not yet show which types of robots are increasing in number, whether mass production is centered on industrial or consumer applications, or where the supply chain bottlenecks lie. Compared with earlier coverage of humanoid robots from us, this news conference puts more emphasis on building the foundations for industrialization than on advances in performance. Readers should consult the original source for details, but from an investment perspective, the pace of institutional design for standardization and safety verification will matter alongside unit growth. Three points to watch are: (1) which applications account for the more than 40,000 units; (2) the scope of the “National Humanoid Robot Industry Standard System Construction Guide (2026 Edition)”; and (3) how quality, network and data security testing will be implemented in practice.

If China establishes standards and safety testing for humanoid robots at an early stage, Japanese companies may need to compete not only on the robots themselves but also on their capabilities in components, testing and data management. Public information, however, is insufficient to determine the direct impact on Japanese companies.